ACE FREHLEY - Origins Vol. 1

May 3, 2016, 7 years ago

(eOne)

Nick Balazs

Rating: 7.5

review hard rock riff notes ace frehley

ACE FREHLEY - Origins Vol. 1

The Spaceman is no stranger to covers and any diehard Ace/KISS fan doesn’t need to be bored with a history lesson. On Origins Vol. 1, Ace does the covers the only way he knows how to; with a smoking guitar! Some of the tunes turn out exceptionally well, while others tread in the average category.
 
The main draw is here is Ace reuniting with Paul Stanley on the Free track “Fire And Water”, which is of course fuelling rumours that the original KISS axe may see himself on that stage again. Time will tell. Paul Rodgers has tough shoes to fill and the KISS singer does it admirably without straining himself. Other standouts include the Slash guested “Emerald” from Thin Lizzy and surprisingly “Bring It On Home” from Led Zeppelin. The up-and-down riffing and spaced out lyrics are a perfect match for Ace and he and Slash let it rip on the solo. “Bring It On Home” works well with drummer Scot Coogan taking the lead vocal and Ace lends his NY swagger to a classic track. Space Ace also tackles some KISS classicks with “Parasite”, “Cold Gin”, and “Rock And Roll Hell”. Some discerning listeners will notice how the opening riff to “Parasite” is slightly altered which may annoy and there is also a longer solo added. The alcohol salute of “Cold Gin” comes off very well with guest Mike McCready, but the star here is Ace tackling the Creatures Of The Night tune he didn’t originally play on! Closer “Rock On Roll Hell” is a searing, heavy track which Ace handles ably and the elongated solo at the end gains high marks. Listeners should also pay attention to the treasured Jimi Hendrix staple “Spanish Castle Magic”. Ace owns it on this rendition and the legendary guitarist would be proud of Frehley’s performance on this one.
 
The only track that didn’t leave an impression was the Stones’ “Street Fighting Man”. “Wild Thing” with Lita Ford is fun, but loses its luster after a few listens and “Til The End Of The Day” from The Kinks comes and goes without much of a gleam.  
 
While the concept of a covers album is something of a novelty and fun to listen to a few times, Ace’s spin on these tracks gives his fans a product with lasting value and plus all that stuff goes out the window when you’re letting it loose and jamming in the car!
 



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